10 Sep 2020
Embassy REIT raises Rs 7.5 bn through NCDs
Embassy Office Parks REIT (Embassy REIT) has successfully raised Rs 7.5 billion by way of a private placement of non-convertible debentures (NCD). These debentures will mature in September 2023.
The NCD will be listed on the wholesale debt market of the BSE and they are rupee-denominated, rated, secured, redeemable and transferable.
The board of the Embassy Office Parks Management Services Private Limited (EOPMSPL, Manager to the Embassy REIT) on August 14 had approved the proposal of raising an aggregate of Rs 2 billion via issuance of non-convertible debentures in one or more tranches. With this approval, the aforementioned fund became the second one to be raised through the NCD route.
The volatility of the present bond markets has not stopped embassy REIT to raise financing at competitive rates thus, pointing towards their strong financial health.
Embassy Office Parks REIT is India’s first publicly listed REIT. It was listed in April 2019. It is also the largest in Asia by area. Embassy REIT owns and runs a portfolio of seven infrastructure-like office parks and four city center office buildings across office markets in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and the National Capital Region (NCR) spanning 33.3 million square feet.
On September 2 FTSE ERA Nareit Global Real Estate Index announced that Embassy REIT will be included in this Index as well.
The FTSE EPRA Nareit Global Real Estate Index Series is an international real estate investment index designed to track the performance of the listed real estate companies in developed as well as emerging countries. The index is jointly managed by the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA), Financial Times stock exchange group (FTSE) and National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). The parameters used by the index for screening include liquidity, size and revenue.
Reportedly the inclusion into this prominent real estate benchmark for global investors will further enhance the REIT’s profile, increase its trading liquidity, broaden its unit holder register and deepen the pools of capital that can potentially invest in the REIT.
